Monthly Archives: April 2009
Montmartre: Artists, Writers and Petrolheads
I didn’t think much of Moulin Rouge as a film, but I did like the depiction of Montmartre. Somehow, the idea of a village within Paris that was home to writers, painters, drinkers and artists seemed incurably romantic. And I’m …
Life on a Bike Edge (Part II)
I had a grand plan for my bike trip. In the true tradition of all grand plans, this naturally had one very major flaw. Before I left London, I borrowed Historic Paris Walks from my local library. I quite fancied …
Is timing everything?
If timing really is everything, then Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) got it badly wrong. His 1809 Philosophie Zoologique pre-dates Darwin’s Origin of Species by 50 years (and influenced Darwin immensely), yet Lamarck is obscure by comparison. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Lamarck’s pre-theory of …
Life on a Bike Edge (Part I)
On Wednesday morning, I decided to branch out, have a new experience, live life dangerously and..rent a bicycle. I mean, I’d hardly dare drive a car in Paris, so why did I think that cycling would be a stress-free experience? …
Musée d’Orsay
I’m ashamed to say that until today I’d never been to the Musée d’Orsay. Either I was in the wrong part of town, I had other things planned or the queue was unfeasibly long when I got there. Today, however, …
Vineyard in Paris: Clos Montmartre
There were some things that I didn’t believe until I saw them with my own eyes on my travels. These include: The size of the Pyramids (HOW big?) The sight of a mirage in the desert Just how stunning the …